Cairngorm Mountain Railway

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The bottom of the line with a car
The bottom of the line with a car
Further up the track
Further up the track
At the passing loop
At the passing loop

The Cairngorm Mountain Railway is 2 km long and the highest railway in the United Kingdom. It is a funicular railway that ascends the slopes of Cairn Gorm, the UK's fifth-highest mountain, in the wilderness of Scotland, near Aviemore in Highland. It carries mostly skiers.

Construction of the CMR started in 1999. It opened on December 24, 2001, 40 years after the opening of the White Lady Chair Lift, which it replaced. The reason for the construction was that the chair lift was too sensitive to the strong winds in the area. The track has a broad gauge of 2000 mm (6ft 6¾in), and the two cars are powered by a stationary electric motor. The maximum speed is 25 miles per hour (40.23 km/h) and there is a passing loop in the middle. The maximum gradient is 23° or 1 in 2.5.

The funicular has the following technical parameters:[1]

  • Length: 1950 metres
  • Height: 490 metres
  • Maximum steepness: 40%
  • Configuration: Single track with passing loop
  • Journey time: 6 minutes
  • Cars: 2
  • Capacity: 120 passengers per car
  • Track gauge: 2 metres
  • Traction: Electricity

[edit] References

  1. ^ Lift-Database : Inverness (Cairngorm). Lift-World.info. Retrieved on February 26, 2007.

[edit] External links

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